failed plans hopeful hearts
by gabysweet10
Summary: Ash never meant for this to happen. All he wanted to do, more than anything, was stop team rocket. But at what costs? an injured companion is all it takes to spiral towards self doubt. Not even oneshot, maybe a 1/4 shot. How will he deal with facing his injured companion's significant other? Read more!


h2 style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-weight: 400; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 26px; font-family: Gibson, 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 20px; vertical-align: baseline; color: #444444; box-sizing: border-box;" /h2  
p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444;"The raven haired boy let out a long sigh of relief. "She's okay?" he mumbled to himself as he saw the chartreuse haired man approach him. He kept his face down regardless. He never should have let her get involved. He em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box;"knew/em this would happen eventually. God, he'd never felt so stupid. He should have known to not pry into something that was too big for him, for them. He thanked his lucky stars for at least sparing his other traveling companions and pokemon. Whether they regret saving him or not, he was thankful anyway./p  
p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444;""As okay as someone crushed by debris will be." Drew let out. He ran his hand through his hair, which was uncharacteristically messy. Since dating May, he had been very close to Dawn, and had evidently formed a strong sibling bond. May still hadn't left the chair by her bestfriend's room. Trying her hardest not to point fingers, because she alsoem style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box;" knew/em what they had signed up for. In all reality, the outcome hadn't been as terrible as predicted. Everyone put their life on the line thinking it would be them to pay the price. /p  
p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444;"But no one expected the helplessness and guilt clawing at their throat when it wasn't them suffering the consequences of all their actions. He shut his eyes and prayed it would be him in a wheelchair when he opened them. That he would be the one in pain for the next couple of months. Him, the one that initiated the plan against team rocket, to be the one laying off battles until he would be capable again. He let his eyes set on Drew, and then to Paul's untouched coffee on the table. They were all waiting for their turn to talk to her, but no one complained when Paul was the first (and most probably the last since he's been in there for hours already) to jolt out of his seat to follow the doctor inside. If Paul never talked to him before, he'd never look his way again for the rest of their lifetimes./p  
p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444;"Still, he couldnt help but ask,/p  
p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444;" "And Paul?" He chanced a look at drew, hoping to see some kind of answer written on his face. To no avail. He knew Paul wouldn't let him near her ever again, or he'd have hell to pay. His heart clenched at the thought of her being dragged away from their circle of friends. She wouldn't go against Paul, he knew. It would be like him turning his back on Misty, and he decided he would have to understand. A breathe of air pulled his attention back to Drew./p  
p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444;""Paul?" he murmured ash's question, "...he's em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box;"Pissed." /emHe nodded lightly as if to confirm the words coming out of his mouth. Ash was dense, but he wasn't stupid. He was the one Paul looked to when he didn't see Dawn exiting the building, or what was left of it, with them. He was the one Paul trusted when Dawn was called to their recon group in the first place, or else he would have carried her to another region kicking and screaming. He didn't think twice though, and he was hot on his trail when the Sinnoh trainer ran into the collapsing building. The only reason she was still here, with them, was the strength of their pokemon combined. They managed to find and free her, but not without escaping the horror of the damage done to her. /p  
p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444;"He didn't even get to search for a pulse as the plum haired trainer was already heading towards the exit. He recalls Gary telling them they barely made it out in time. It was the last thing on their mind at the moment. He's vowed to never second doubt himself. If he hadn't, Dawn would had died buried deep under. He would have buried hims-/p  
p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 15px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444;""You and I both know he's out for blood.. but I don't think you know it's not your blood he's after." He flicked his hair as if it was in its normal style. "And I don't know about you, but there's no way in hell May and I are walking away like this. He, as well as we, knew what the risks were. Which is why you're still alive, but that's besides the point. She's alive and breathing, and we em style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant: inherit; font-weight: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: inherit; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box;"will/em go through with the plan until the end. I know she'll join when she's able. I feel it, and no doubt he'll be right beside her." /p  
p style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; outline: none 0px; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: transparent; margin: 15px 0px 0px; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: inherit; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', HelveticaNeue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; vertical-align: baseline; box-sizing: border-box; color: #444444;"May had walked up to him and grabbed his hand in mid speech, showing her support. She grabbed Ash's hand to show she had seen past the errors, and was ready to fight on. Finally, feeling forgiven and less tense, he smiled at them. His smile widened when he saw Paul nodding at him with wheelchair handles in his hands. He glanced down and felt the world lift off his shoulders when Dawn flashed him the brightest smile he'd ever seen. He should have known she'd be out and about when she saw her first chance. If she could do that, probably without consent of a doctor, they could do this. They had to./p 


End file.
